Dr. Sandie Morgan and Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner Cynthia Whittenburg examine the role U.S. Customs and Border Protection plays in combating Labor Trafficking. They discuss the authority the CBP has and what that looks like when it's put into action. The impact of their actions are analyzed from a global perspective. Steps that can be taken to educate about the issues of labor trafficking and inform businesses about best practices are outlined.
Cynthia Whittenburg

Cynthia Whittenburg was appointed Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade, in 2016, charged with overseeing one of the most important aspects of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) complex mission:  facilitating lawful trade while protecting our supply chain to support our nation’s economic growth and security.  Under her leadership, CBP addresses many of the complex challenges in today’s trade environment including e-commerce, forced labor, unfair trade practices, and regulatory reform.
Ms. Whittenburg’s civil service career began with the U.S. Customs Service at the Port of New Orleans as an import specialist 32 years ago while serving in a parallel career as a commissioned U.S. Army Reservist.
Ms. Whittenburg is a graduate of Dillard University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science/Business and has earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Georgia Southern University.  Additionally, she graduated from the Department of Homeland Security Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program in 2013 and the Senior Managers in Government course at Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2016.
Key Points


U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has a large role in the fight to end human trafficking that most people are unaware of. CBP has the authority to stop goods from coming into the U.S. that have been produced with forced labor.

The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act was passed in 2016 which gave CBP more authority to detain shipments coming into the U.S. that are made wholly or in part with forced labor.

When businesses use forced labor they are upsetting the economic competitiveness of American business, and negatively impacts other businesses' abilities to compete in a fair and competitive manner.

There are many resources available to the public to see which companies and products have been in contact with forced labor. These websites and reports also give readers the ability to see what regions in the world are high in labor trafficking; in order to, avoid buying products from those areas that have the potential to be tainted with human trafficking.

Resources


Customs and Border Protection

Trafficking in Persons Report

Department of Labor

EnsureJustice.com
ILO Indicators of Forced Labor
CBP Withhold Release Orders and Findings
CBP Issues Detention Order on Cotton Products Originating from XPCC
Department of Labor Comply Chain App
Department of Labor List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor
Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report
July 2020 Xinjiang Business Advisory

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Transcript
Dave [00:00:00] You're listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast, this is episode number 244: The Role of Customs and Border Protection in Disrupting Supply Chain Forced Labor, and Why it Matters to All of Us.

 

Production Credits [00:00:13] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

 

Dave [00:00:34] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast.